The present invention pertains to a climatic condition indicator. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a system for providing to the pilot of an aircraft a dynamic indication of climatic conditions at an airport, such conditions including for example wind speed, wind direction, barometric pressure, temperature, cloud height, and visibility.
Information as to climatic conditions at an airport is essential to pilots to airplanes attempting to take off or land at the airport. While heavily used airports serving large metropolitan areas frequently have sophisticated equipment to assist pilots of aircraft in taking off or landing at those airports, numerous smaller airports in less populous areas are in operation without such sophisticated equipment. These smaller airports handle in total considerable quantities of air traffic.
Larger aircraft are likely to contain sophisticated equipment to assist their pilots, but small aircraft frequently are not so equipped. These smaller aircraft are very susceptible to sudden changes in climatic conditions under certain circumstances. By way of example, sudden changes in wind speed or direction can greatly affect an airplane during taken off or landing.
Climatic data, such as wind data, of a static nature are of some use to pilots during taken off and landing of aircraft; however, such data are actually of only limited value, particularly during periods of rapidly changing climatic conditions. By way of example, if the wind is gusting strongly and is constantly changing direction, the take off and landing of an aircraft, particularly a lighter aircraft, can be extremely hazardous. Numerous smaller aircraft, particularly when operating at comparatively small airports in areas of lesser population density, are provided only with static information as to climatic conditions, for example indications of a fixed wind direction and speed. This static information might be updated only at infrequent intervals, for example hourly, with the assumption being required that the climatic conditions do not change between updating. Such information is of little benefit when the climatic conditions are changing rapidly, for example when the wind is gusting strongly and is frequently changing direction.
If the pilot of an aircraft can be provided with dynamic information as to climatic conditions, particularly during times when the climatic conditions are changing rapidly, the likelihood of disastrous consequences from such changes is considerably reduced.